Eagle Gate
The Eagle Gate is one of the five great fortresses that bar the mountain passes between the Shadowlands of Nagarythe and the Inner Kingdoms. It was built during the reign of Caledor the Conqueror, who was determined that the Dark Elves would never again find Ulthuan so unprepared and vulnerable as they had in the first days of his rule. As with the other fortresses, the garrison of the Eagle Gate is a permanent body of standing troops drawn from the finest warriors across Ulthuan. To perform such service is one of the highest honours to which an Elf can aspire, and should a soldier survive his duty, he will thereafter be treated with respect by commoner and noble alike. Alas, surviving such an assignment is a luxury given to only a few. Between the Dark Elves of Naggaroth and the monsters of the Annulii, a soldier will have to best many foes if he is to return home. Sculpted towers rear from the great wall, streaming blue pennants snapping from the finials and ringed with graceful parapets upon which sit fearsome war machines. Such weapons can launch silver bolts the length of a lance that can punch through the heart of a dragon, or send a withering host of equally deadly darts with terrifying rapidity. From atop the Eagle Gate, one can catch the scent of the sea, a dark and musky aroma that sends a chill down one's spine as one thinks of the cold, evil lands that lay beyond it. In stark contrast, if one turns eastward, one can see the rolling steppes of Ellyrion as a golden brown haze, its bounteous lands warming the heart of many who keep watch this high up in the mountains. Said-mountains tower over the fortress, with silver peaks that glitter with magic 'like a frosting of ithilmar'. Indeed, the magic here is so potent that a simple warrior can see it and the haze of whispering energy that hangs over the mountains. The soldiers make note when the magic blows strongly, for the creatures of the Annulii are drawn to the rush of powerful energy that swirls around Ulthuan. Such magic is capable of almost anything, and many of the creatures drawn to it are unnatural monsters of Chaos. Eagle Tower Built upon the centre of the wall, the Eagle Tower is carved in the shape of said-beast, with curved stairs cut into the back of its head. A recessed battlement rests in the neck of the great carving, where sit a trio of Eagle Claw bolt throwers (nine more of which are spread along the wall's length). A bench has also been carved into the base of the tower. The Aquila Spire Though the Eagle Tower is the main tower of the fortress, the Aquila Spire is a narrow projecting tower built into the southern cliff face that serves as the Gate Castellan's personal sanctuary and study. Its conical roof has a rigged parapet, whilst an upward stairway carved from the rock grants entry to said-spire's interior. Here, one will find it kept pleasantly cool, thanks to the singular, narrow window overlooking the descending slopes of the pass leading to Ellyrion. One might also notice the scent of ripened corn on the wind, because of this. Yet, beneath the lone window's narrow sill, jagged rocks lay hundreds of feet below. Trivia * In Defenders of Ulthuan, the fortress is noted for having a single gate of azure steel, one where anything approaching it would be pierced by a thousand arrows before they covered the half distance between the turn in the road and said-gate. * During the events of Defenders of Ulthuan, the Commander and Castellan of Eagle Gate is Cerion Goldwing, with his second-in-command being Glorien Truecrown. * The warriors of the gate cheer at the sight of Great Eagles over a battlefield, seeing it as an omen of victory. * Protective runes etched into the parapets blaze with powerful light. Source * : Warhammer: Uniforms & Heraldry of the High Elves ** : pg. 34 * : Defenders of Ulthuan by Graham McNeill ** : Chapter 6 ** : Chapter 7 ** : Chapter 13 ** : Chapter 18 * : Sons of Ellyrion (novel) by Graham McNeill ** : Chapter 1 es:Puerta del Águila Category:High Elf Fortress Gates Category:Ulthuan Category:E Category:G